Alumni & Partners

Robert Wingo Named to 2013 Distinguished Alumni

COBA Centennial Celebration Book

Every year, The University of Texas at El Paso and the UTEP Alumni Association honor a group of distinguished men and women whose achievements stand out as monuments to dedication, integrity and hard work – they are the UTEP Distinguished Alumni.

The Distinguished Alumni award is the highest recognition bestowed upon alumni of the University.

This year's Distinguished Alumni include a former College of Business Administration Gold Nugget, Mr. Robert Wingo.

Robert V. Wingo

Despite his work with the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial Foundation board in Washington, D.C., job offers in New York and clients from major companies around the country, Wingo feels most at home in El Paso.

Now president and CEO of Sanders\Wingo Advertising Inc. in El Paso, he started as the first in his family to graduate from college when he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from UTEP in 1973.

He joined the advertising firm as co-owner in 1984 after working up to vice president of advertising at Billy the Kid, a non-defunct El Paso boys apparel company. He has since helped expand Sanders\Wingo to Austin and New York, with satellite operations in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Sanders\Wingo has worked with national clients including AT&T, Burger King, Mini Cooper, State Farm Insurance and the United States Postal Service. His local clients include Peter Piper Pizza, GECU, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and El Paso Water Utilities.

Today, Wingo is focused on creating opportunities for young people by inviting students to visit the company’s offices and offering internships.

In Their Own Words

UTEP Business Students Visit Vanguard in Scottsdale, Arizona

12 College of Business Administration students recently traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona to visit Vanguard. Vanguard is of the world's largest investment management companies, serving individual investors, institutions, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and financial professionals.

Students were welcomed and provided with an organizational overview by Matt Walker, Principle of Institutional Asset Management. The group toured the facility and received an overview of Vanguard’s Participant, Retail and Brokerage Service areas by UTEP alumni. Vanguard catered lunch and encouraged students to sit with UTEP Alumni and ask questions about Vanguard as well as each employee’s experience transitioning to a new city. The day wrapped up with a panel discussion and mock interviews with Vanguard’s HR employees. Overall, the students enjoyed the trip and were excited to hear Vanguard’s plans to continue networking with UTEP and hiring its students.

Vanguard currently has one internship and 4 full-time positions available for UTEP students on Jobmine.

Lonnie and Maria Elena Abernathy Graduate Endowment Fellowship

Dr. Robert Nachtmann, Lonnie and Maria Elena Abernathy and family with the commemorative plaque in the lobby of the Business Building.

A reception was held on March 21st 2012 in the College of Business Administration lobby to thank Lonnie and Maria Elena
Abernathy for the endowment they set up in 2006 in honor of her brother, Alejandro Jesus Guerrero. A commemorative plaque for
display in the lobby was unveiled at the event.

The fellowship is for graduate students studying in the College of Business Administration.

Dr. Abernathy is a retired UTEP faculty member and Alejandro and Maria Elena are both UTEP alumni. We thank them for their generous contributions.

ADP Hosts College of Business Administration Student Visit

On Friday, November 18th, ten College of Business Administration students visited the ADP facility in El Paso, Texas. Charles
Staniszewski, ADP’s Client Relations Manager, welcomed our students and provided an overview of ADP’s two business segments
which are Employer and Dealer Services.

Students then participated in a short networking mixer with several managers which enabled them to learn more about ADP and share their
own experiences. While touring ADP’s building, students met several more employees and were surprised to see an on-site
doctor’s office, café and workout facility. The day ended with lunch in ADP’s café where several employees
joined the group and discussed ADP’s positive work environment.

Giving Back: Mike Brochu

Distinguished alumnus Mike Brochu, BBA Accounting '76 and 2004 Gold Nugget, recently spent two days on campus meeting with the students and faculty of the College of Business. He shared his career experience during informal meetings with groups of students and as a guest lecturer in a number of business classes.

Mike and his wife Caprice also established an annual scholarship for COBA students. During his visit he attended the UTEP Scholarship Luncheon and met with Brochu Scholarship recipient German Sanchez, a COBA Senior majoring in Finance.

Mike Brochu receiving a token of recognition from COBA students.

Previously, Brochu served as the President and COO of Sierra On-Line, Inc., one of the world’s largest publishers of interactive entertainment, educational, and home productivity software. There, he spearheaded efforts that increased sales by more than 300 percent, culminating the sale of Sierra On-Line to CUC International for US$1.1 billion in 1996.

Michael Brochu is a seasoned technology executive who brings over 20 years of senior-level experience and operational excellence to GMI. He most recently served as the President and CEO of Loudeye Corporation, a global leader of digital music platforms and digital media distribution services, which Nokia acquired in 2006.

Before Loudeye, Mike was President and CEO of Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc., an award-winning provider of e-service software solutions. In 1999, Brochu took Primus public, and facilitated the acquisition of the company by Art Technology Group (ATG) in 2004.

Mike currently sits on the board of directors of ATG, Zotec Partners, and the advisory board of Seattle-based venture capital firm Voyager Capital, which is also one of GMI’s early institutional investors. Mike was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000.

The William C. and Lavoyne Newman and Family Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Robert Nachtmann, Mrs. LaVoyne Newman and her children Kimberly A. Newman and W. Kevin Newman with the commemorative plaque in the lobby of the Business Building.

LaVoyne Newman, William K. Newman and Kimberly A. Newman have generously created the William C. and
Lavoyne Newman and Family Endowed Scholarship in honor of William C. Newman, a graduate of Texas Western who
went on to practice law in Texas for over 50 years.

The endowement will be used to provide scholarships to the
students in the College of Business Administration with an interest in entrepreneurship.

Kevin Newman is a UTEP graduate and teaches Juniors and Seniors U. S. History, Government and World History at Chapin High School. In 2006, Kevin was nominated for Teacher of the Year.

Kimberly Newman has her Masters in Education and is a Math Specialist for K thru 5 at the Glen Oaks Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas. Kim was awarded Teacher of the Year for 2008.